Page 25 of Bedding the Biker Next Door

When he opened the door, Jill’s mouth dropped open. “Wow!”

Cole smiled. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling all around. They were filled with books from children’s Little Golden Books to Tom Clancy novels. “My mom liked to read. She used to read to me all the time when I was a kid.”

“This is quite a collection,” she said. “She gave the kids some books, but I had no idea… She’d never brought me in here.”

“She was quite a collector, of all sorts of things. Books, knickknacks, my old art from when I was a kid…” He stared at the books a while. “I guess we should pack these up.”

“Well, books are definitely less fragile,” she said. “I’ll get some boxes.” She left and came back a few minutes later with several boxes from the living room.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

Jill nodded and sat by the bookshelf. “Oh, I loved this story,” she said, holding up a children’s book.

“You want some books for the daycare?” he asked, looking at the shelf. Why he hadn’t offered right away was beyond him. They would be in perfect hands.

She looked up from her spot on the floor, first at him and then at the shelves. “That’s not why I came here…”

He frowned. “I know that. Believe me, I regret what I said to you, Jill. You’re not manipulative. In fact, you’re pretty damned incredible. The things you do every day would be hell for other people, yet you make it all look so easy. Those kids and their parents are so lucky to have you.”

“Well…thank you. For the compliment and the books.” She smiled, slapping the book shut and placing it in the empty box.

As they packed away the books, they talked about which ones they’d both read as adults and which ones were their favorites as kids. Turned out they had the same taste in books, but then again, Cole shouldn’t have been so surprised. Cole loved mysteries with a twist at the end, and Jill’s eyes widened with surprise just before she said she loved them too. They also had a mutual love of historical fiction and true crime. What shocked Cole, however, was when Jill admitted she loved all things horror, be it a novel or movie.

“In fact, my favorite horror novel that I read last year was—”

“Let me guess, something by Stephen King?” he said.

“Close. It was called Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.”

“And that’s close because…” He tilted his head at her.

“Because Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son?” she said, like it was common knowledge.

“Oh wow, you just taught me something.”

She set a book down on her lap and leaned into him. In a sexy voice, she said, “Well, I am a teacher of babies, Mr. Cole.” She held it together pretty good for a moment, but then she started laughing.

“Very funny.” He smiled at her, loving the musical quality of her laughter.

They went on talking and laughing, and every so often, he caught her gaze sliding up his arms or down his legs. She was checking him out. She wanted him just as badly as she had two nights ago…just the way he wanted her.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, when Liz showed up a full half hour before she was supposed to, Jill knew the time of reckoning had come. Mostly, she was glad. Even packing a few boxes with him had her feelings for Cole building into a confusing mass of emotions, and she’d started to panic at the thought of him leaving in a few days. She’d be hurt no matter what. So what was the point of stopping herself from enjoying him while he was here?

Staying away from him might not actually be accomplishing anything. Her resolve to keep things friendly and fun between them was apparently crumbling under the temptation that was Cole.

Sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, Jill faced Liz with hope that talking to her friend could help her sort things out. But apparently, Liz had already put two-and-two together. “So, tell me the truth. You’re getting it on with the ‘giant’ next door, aren’t you?” She lifted her glass of orange juice and stared at Jill as she sipped.

Jill forced a laugh. “Everything is not about sex, you know.”

“Maybe not when you’re in your twenties and getting it regularly, honey.” Liz crossed her arms. “But when you’re a forty-something-year-old widow, it becomes almost like a goal.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not having sex with Cole. That is, we didn’t have sex last night. I just had dinner with him and helped him pack. He’s pretty torn up over losing his mom. He just needs a friend right now.”

Liz stilled. “You didn’t have sex last night,” she mused, fishing for more. “But…”

Jill looked at Liz, smiled, then covered her eyes with her hands, only to peek at her friend through the spaces between her fingers. “Okay, we did have sex that first night.”

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